Page 102 of Bargain With the Boss

“There’s no other way to get you to leave—even I know that. She didn’t care as long as I got you back to Seattle. The people from Sophisticated Spaces only want A Home You Love because of the family aspect. Mother?—”

“Mother made her bed a long damn time ago. Her lies were the final nail in the coffin for me. I don’t really care.”

The root-bound ball in my chest tightened all the more. “If I fail—everyone on my team loses their jobs. She’s going to blacklist them. I can’t let them lose everything. She already fired Pete.”

“Is she insane? The entire distribution department will fall apart without Pete.” He stood, dragging me to my feet. “What exactly did she think this would accomplish? She’s doing this to twist you up. She won’t actually fire all the people that hold her precious business together.”

“Oh, you don’t know how she’s been since you moved to New York. She’s unhinged lately. When the board came to her about the merger she’s been—” I cut myself off and sat back down on the bench. “It sounds so ridiculous, but it’s been hideous. No matter what I do, she isn’t happy. All I wanted was a chance to show the board that my idea for A Garden You Love was worthy of discussion, but she took it and warped it.”

“Syd”—he grabbed my hand—“you can’t give that to her. You’ve had that idea forever.”

I shook my head. “It’s too late. I put the proposal in. It was how this whole thing got so ugly and out of control. My team—Leah, Lynn, Pete, and Jared to start will all be out of a job because they helped me with the idea.”

He stood and cracked his knuckles as he paced. “She’ll take the garden center.”

“I know.” The details of the meeting before I came to Crescent Cove poured out. “She had the audacity to tell me she’d put my proposal to the board after she made some modifications.”

“Enough that it would become hers and not yours.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, it does.”

“I didn’t want to?—”

“You should have come to me.”

“I know,” I whispered.

He sat by me again. “But I didn’t make you think you could and that’s on me.” He wound his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a hug.

Iheld on tighter. “I’m sorry, Jude.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. You actually came and helped my company. Very much the opposite of sabotage. You’re the reason we have that cornerstone, you know.”

I shook my head. “It was all you guys.”

They’d actually built something to add to the community, and it felt good to help them. Far better than anything to do with our mother’s company lately.

And I’d been here to ruin it.

“I have to go back home.”

“I won’t go with you.”

“I know,” I whispered. “You’re so much stronger than I am.”

“Not in this lifetime. You are the one holding all of us together whether you believe it or not.”

“Well, now I have to face her and protect my people. Will you be okay if I’m not here to help out the business?”

He nodded. “We’ll get by.” He gripped my hands. “I do want you here. You’re my family, too.”

“You don’t need me here.”

“Not sure how to get that into your head, but I do.”

“First, I need to face her. Maybe if I work a little harder I can figure out a way to prove to the board they don’t need you there in Seattle to make this work.”